What’s In A Label?
By Rosanne Lindsay, Naturopath
We in America have become part of a herd mentality, easily swayed into trusting labels as gospel. Labels give us information from which to make decisions when it comes to how we choose to eat and live. We believe labels are a type of informed consent.
Labels also tell us who we are — in case we didn’t know — so that we can subdivide ourselves into groups. Whether in politics (democrat/republican/libertarian), religion (Buddhist, Christian, Jew), schooling (public/private/home), relationships (married/single/complicated), or food (GMO/non-GMO/organic), we have convinced ourselves that we are separate “but not equal,” on one Earth ecosystem that connects and sustains us all.
Ironically, food is the great equalizer in uniting humanity because our vitality and health as individuals, and as a herd, all come down to the fuel we put into our bodies. And if we don’t have our health, what do we have? We may think that labels provide free information. But that information is not always true. Corporate government allows food companies to write their own rules, and change the labels, at the expense of customers.
Widget not in any sidebars
The Food industry, regulated by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, genetically modifies food to alter the genome to patent nature and profit from it. With government approval, Monsanto has patented Genetically Modified Organisms, or GMO sugar beets, soy, canola, corn, among other crops, which make up over 99% of ingredients in processed foods. Biotech companies spend millions of dollars to keep people in the dark by misrepresenting their products.
Many organizations, especially the National Health Federation, work to ensure truth in labeling and protect food integrity. While they argue that governments must be responsible and accountable for what people are purchasing, more often than not, labels are misleading and false.
To be labeled “organic,” products must be certified in accordance with the National Organic Program (NOP) requirements, implemented by the USDA. The USDA allows different levels of organic, including “100% organic,” “organic” for products that contain at least 95% organic material, and “made with organic ingredients” for products with at least 70% organic ingredients.
Today, most organic products sold at co-ops and natural food stores are not local. In fact, some organic food is not even domestic. Bulk-bin items listed on the UNFI website, including pine nuts, pumpkin seeds, black beans, soybeans, adzuki beans and mung beans, are all sourced from China. Products like “Organic” Cascadian Farms frozen peas are grown in China with no certification or enforcement by the USDA.
Never Trust A Label
1. In 2013, the “Certified Organic” label standards process was usurped by the Food Industry and changed without a public review so that the definition of organic is no longer the same.
2. Even if main ingredients in foods are labeled GMO there are word plays that hide these ingredients, such as “spices.”
3. In 2014, foreign suppliers of crops (operating in Asia, Africa, South America, Europe and the Middle East) were caught red-handed with forged organic certificates, all for profit.
4. Many petitions to require GMO labeling in States (Washington and California) have failed in referendums because Monsanto and major food companies spend millions in campaigns to confuse voters. Moreover, many people do not trust the privately-owned and controlled voting system.
5. Misinformation and false advertising is inherent in the All Natural, Gluten-free, Cage-Free, Antibiotic-free, and No-added hormones labels. Companies simply add an asterisk next to its claims followed by a statement that reads: * “No significant difference has been shown between milk from [growth hormone-treated] and non-[growth hormone-treated] cows.”
6. The raw milk movement has learned that asking for legal labels (raw vs. processed) can be used by the multi-million dollar corporate milk industry to divide and conquer small farmers that privately sell raw milk and raw products to individuals who seek it out. Asking the government to make raw milk “legal” is really taking an inherent right to choose our foods and turning it a privilege, which can be taken away (as seen by State overreach in Wisconsin and Minnesota). Under current laws, small farmers are made to adhere to greater restrictions and record keeping requirements for artificial foods, resulting in higher costs for real foods.
7. In 2019, a Turkish food scientist was sentenced to 15 months in prison for publishing a study that links chemicals in food and water to cancer.
Other Labels
1. In 2010, Walmart disclosed in the media that it would begin adding RFID chips to clothing. However, “the chip” is not on the label. Today, clothes, food, medical supplies, passports, licenses are all chipped, while most people remain ignorant. At .05-mm, and smaller, the Square Super Micro RFID Tag is easily overlooked.
2. Carbon dioxide (CO2) is labelled and demonized as a poisonous gas when it is really plant food. Cirrus clouds are labelled as natural phenomenon when they are really Cirrus Chemtraillus. Even the U.S. Air Force admits to controlling the weather by cloud seeding, with tag lines such as We Don’t Create Clouds, We Enhance Them.
How do we trust industry to provide a valid label under changing standards and weak enforcement?
We don’t!
Back-to-Basic Solutions
- Grow your own organic food or support a local farmer whom you know.
- Make your own organic food instead of purchasing commercially prepared foods.
- Know your food by its original shape in nature. Know where milk comes from …. hint: it’s not from store shelves.
- Choose products made by hand as much as possible or find someone to make it for you. This includes synthetic food supplements.
- Reduce exposures to electronics to reduce GPS-tracking from chips, and from radiation.
- Avoid elective surgeries and medications.
- Choose based on investigation and intuition vs. other people’s opinions.
- Understand how the internet tracks your every move, just as all “smart technology” does.
What’s in a label?
Only what the industry wants you to know, not what you need to know.
While organizations have successfully brought misleading labeling lawsuits against large companies, including in a case alleging that chicken products were falsely labeled as “Raised Without Antibiotics,” they cannot keep up with ongoing label deception.
The best way to remove yourself from the herd is to understand food labels — and their actual legal meanings — before purchasing a product.
Rosanne Lindsay is a writer, blogger, and Naturopathic healer. She is the author of two books, The Nature of Healing: Heal the Body, Heal the Planet, and her story of thyroid disease reversal: Free Your Voice, Heal Your Thyroid, Reverse Thyroid Disease Naturally. Find her at Nature of Healing on Facebook. Consult with Rosanne to create a custom healing plan via Skype or Zoom or phone. Contact her at natureofhealing.org. Subscribe to her blog for updates at https://www.natureofhealing.org/blog/ and visit her podcast on Blogtalkradio, Thursdays at 5 pm CDT.
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